Avowed's Game Director Leaves Obsidian, Joins Netflix

Carrie Patel, a Writer and Game Director behind one of 2025's most forgettable games, Avowed, has unexpectedly announced her departure from Obsidian Entertainment, immediately sparking online discussions about the reasons behind it and whether it's connected to Avowed's uninspiring results.

Announced in a LinkedIn post, first spotted by Insider Gaming, Patel's departure marks the end of her nearly 12-year tenure at Obsidian, where she previously worked as a Narrative Designer and Narrative Co-Lead before becoming a Game Director. As of this writing, neither Obsidian nor Patel have provided any reasons for her exit, leaving it unclear whether she left voluntarily or was pushed out by the studio executives.

Her leaving of her own volition seems more likely, however, as the same LinkedIn post revealed she is joining Night School, a small game studio owned by Netflix, as a Game Director. Besides obscure games like Afterparty and the Oxenfree duology, Night School isn't known for any major releases and has yet to announce its next project, so there's currently no information on what Patel will be working on with her new team.

When news of Avowed's Game Director leaving Obsidian reached the mainstream, speculation quickly followed. Some pointed to the game's underwhelming performance and rapid fade into obscurity as possible reasons, while others suggested it was simply a personal choice to bring her experience to a smaller studio. There's also speculation that the move was financially motivated, with Netflix potentially offering a better salary than Obsidian, but obviously, unless Patel speaks publicly, the real reason will likely remain unknown.

Others have also questioned how her exit might affect Avowed's recently announced roadmap, however, since the planned updates are mostly technical in nature – quality-of-life improvements, new modes, weapons, NPC tweaks, and so on – it's unlikely that her departure will significantly impact those plans. One thing feels almost certain though: with the Game Director now gone and the roadmap making no mention of expansions, the Avowed DLC that was only recently said to be "likelier than ever" now appears to be a member of the "never gonna happen" club.

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